Arkansas, who has won a league record 27 SEC Championships in cross country, enters the meet with a trio of team wins this season from three meets. Ranked No. 21 prior to the Pre-Nationals meet in Virginia two weeks ago, a team win in addition to an individual victory from Ben Shearer vaulted the Razorbacks to a No. 8 national ranking.
Runner-up to Arkansas in the Pre-Nationals meet was Tennessee with the Razorbacks holding an advantage of 35 to 89 in team scoring.
“I told the team we’re not going to see our true potential until we get into the championship season,” Bucknam said. “I think when we look at what we did at Pre-Nationals that’s the step I was talking about into that right direction.
“We haven’t put it all together yet, but we ran really good at Pre-Nationals. I think there’s so much more in the tank with this team. I’m looking to get all these different athletes on the same page to run a five-mile race. As we enter our championship season, I think we’re in a good spot.”
Arkansas returns six of its top seven runners from last year’s SEC runner-up squad, led by cross country All-American Patrick Kiprop, who placed fifth in the race. The Razorbacks also have the addition of transfers in Kirami Yego, a cross country All-American while at South Alabama, and Lexington Hilton from Arkansas State, who was runner-up in the 2021 Sun Belt meet.
“My team of 11 athletes are made up from every distance race we have,” stated Bucknam. “Some are steeplers, and a guy like Elias Schreml is a 1,500m specialist. Patrick Kiprop and Lexington Hilton are more 10k guys.
“So, we have a pretty good group of guys, but they all specialize in something different on the track. To get them on the same page to run a five-mile race, and eventually a six-mile race, that takes a little time.”
Schreml finished 10th a year ago and was the second finisher among the Razorbacks, followed by Myles Richter (12th), Jacob McLeod (16th), Ben Shearer (21st), and Josh Shearer (31st).
Ben Shearer, the 2022 SEC Freshman Runner of the Year, has led Arkansas twice this season. He won the Oklahoma State Cowboy Preview over a 5,000m distance in early September. Then Shearer was runner-up to teammate Yego over 8,000m at the Chile Pepper Festival.
After winning the Pre-Nationals in a best of 22:55.0, Shearer earned SEC Runner of the Week honors. In winning the race by 3.6 seconds over Tennessee’s Yaseen Abdalla, Shearer covered the final 1,000m in 2:39.4 and claimed the lead over the final 400m. Abdalla was the SEC bronze medalist in last year’s conference meet.
“We knew when we recruited Ben out of Texas he was a talent,” Bucknam said. “It takes a while for everything to click. It’s now happening. He’s figured it out and doing everything right. He’s doing all the little things that happen outside of practice. That’s where kids at this level make a big jump and have a more professional attitude about what they’re doing. They hold themselves accountable. That’s going from youth to maturity.
“That’s what we’re seeing in front of our eyes with Ben. On top of everything else he can smell the finish line. He really competes hard. It’s fun to watch that maturation happen in front of your eyes.”
Yego, who won the Chile Pepper race in 23:14.1 to earn a SEC Runner of the Week accolade, finished third at the Pre-Nationals in 23:04.2. At South Alabama, Yego claimed Sun Belt individual titles in 2021 and 2022. Kiprop’s lone race this cross country season had him finishing fifth at Pre-Nationals as the third Razorback.
“Kirami brings a little bit of new blood and that’s one thing about the transfer portal and the transfers that I like,” stated Bucknam. “You get these mature, established athletes that are like freshmen again. They’re excited about where they’re at, with new facilities, surroundings, and a new team.
“They just have that youthful, kind of freshman mentality that I like. Kirami’s brought that to the table with him. He’s always smiling and positive, while challenging everybody at practice. I love his enthusiasm and him wanting to make a mark as a Razorback.”
Arkansas will have a pair of runners competing in their fourth SEC Cross Country Championship in Richter and McLeod. Richter has been the third Razorback the past two seasons, placing 10th in 2021 and 12th in 2022. In 2019, Richter was the second UA runner, placing 18th.
McLeod finished fifth in 2021 as the second Razorback. He was fourth among the Arkansas squad in 2022, placing 16th, while in 2020 he was third among the UA squad and placed seventh in the field.
Reuben Reina, who did not finish in the 2022 SEC race, placed fourth among the squad at Chile Pepper while being fifth in the race, and was the seventh UA runner at Pre-Nationals while placing 27th. Also finishing among Arkansas’ top seven this season are Tommy Romanow and Jack Williams.
With a few contenders for the individual title, Arkansas could produce its first individual champion since 2018 when Gilbert Boit won with Arkansas placing second to Ole Miss, 36-44, for the team title. That marked the first time among 15 Razorback individual titles in which it was claimed without Arkansas also winning the team title.
“That’s what exciting about racing on Friday,” noted Bucknam. “There’s a great group of guys that I have where it doesn’t matter who the number one person is, we want to win the meet. We have fire power and a ton of potential. It’s just a question of putting it all together.”
